Pharmacological and Clinical Studies with Talampicillin, an Ester of Ampicillin

Abstract

Talampicillin (Talpen, Beecham Research Laboratories) is the thiazolidine carboxylic ester of ampicillin. After oral administration the ester is rapidly hydrolysed in the intestinal wall to release free ampicillin into the body (Jeffery et al, 1975). We initially did some studies in human volunteers to confirm the findings of Clayton et al (1974) that talampicillin gives higher blood levels than the same oral doses of ampicillin. A study was then undertaken in patients with infections from ampicillin-sensi-tive organisms to assess the pharmacology and clinical effectiveness of talampicillin.